Bali Immigration Apprehends Interpol Fugitive in Australian Narcotics Case

The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Badung Regency, Bali, has apprehended an Australian Interpol fugitive wanted for narcotics offences. The suspect, identified by the initials AP, was attempting to leave the Island of the Gods via I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport using a forged passport belonging to another person. “We carry out strict and professional immigration surveillance and checks to ensure national sovereignty and security,” said the Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, Bugie Kurniawan, in Jimbaran, Thursday. Immigration officers foiled AP’s departure on Saturday evening, 6 June, after detecting the use of a fake passport belonging to a Brazilian national with the initials GAM. Crossing data showed no record of the GAM passport entering Indonesia. AP was attempting to board a private aircraft with flight number N917CJ, en route from Denpasar to Maputo, Mozambique, at the South Terminal of I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport. Passenger data for the private aircraft listed AP alongside three other individuals of Portuguese, Italian, and Brazilian nationality, plus three crew members. Officers subsequently postponed AP’s departure while he was examined, whereas the three other individuals were declared clear. However, before further action could be taken, a film-like scene unfolded as all the passengers sneaked onto the aircraft without permission, and the aircraft prepared for take-off, ignoring officers’ instructions. Immigration officials immediately coordinated with airport authorities to halt the flight, ordering the aircraft, which was already on the runway, to return to the VIP Terminal. After the aircraft was parked back at the terminal, officers conducted a sweep and found AP hiding in the aircraft toilet, while the three other passengers were in the cabin. AP was then arrested for examination, while all crew, other passengers, and the private aircraft had their departure postponed during the investigation process. Examination results confirmed the 55-year-old AP was on the Interpol list with a 100 per cent match score as a suspect. Based on a request for information from the National Central Bureau (NCB) Canberra, AP is suspected of being a fugitive sought by international law enforcement in connection with a transnational crime case. Based on a notice document from Interpol, Bugie added, AP is known to be an influential figure within a Transnational Serious Organised Crime (TSOC) network and a prominent member of a motorcycle gang. According to the Australian Federal Police (AFP), AP is responsible for a series of large-scale narcotics smuggling operations into Australian territory. He is known to have long evaded law enforcement and was allegedly attempting to quietly leave the region using illegally obtained travel documents to flee beyond the reach of the law and continue his network’s activities from outside Australia. The Ngurah Rai Immigration Office subsequently coordinated directly with the Narcotics Crime Directorate of the Indonesian National Police Criminal Investigation Agency and the National Police’s International Relations Division to deepen the case and communicate with foreign law enforcement agencies. In parallel, the Directorate General of Customs and Excise examined the aircraft and its entire contents due to indications of the subject’s involvement in a transnational crime network. International cooperation was also undertaken with the United States’ Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the AFP. Meanwhile, AP has been subjected to a lifetime entry ban from Indonesian territory and is subsequently being deported to face legal proceedings in Australia. “We assert that there is no room for fugitives or transnational criminals to use Indonesia as a hiding place,” he stated.